Child&#39;s blanket



Oct. 30, 1962 J. J. MILLER CHILD'S BLANKET Filed Jan. 6, 1961 H mm mM Y W w J A TTORA/E V United States Patent 3,060,462 CHILDS BLANKET Julius J. Miller, Forest Hills, N.Y., assignor of one-half to Elsa Foster, New York, N.Y. Filed Jan. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 81,113 6 Claims. (Cl. -334) This invention relates to a childs blanket, and particularly to a snuggling blanket which a child can snuggle to itself to derive a psychological feeling of security from the blanket while the blanket performs all the desired functions of keeping the child covered, and resists all displacing forces exerted by the child directly during adjustments of the blanket and exerted indirectly during manipulation of the blanket by shifting of position during sleep or rest.

A childs psychological desire and urge for a feeling of security causes the child to pull and draw upon its blanket for close cuddling that establishes physical contact and warmth associated with transferred affection.

Moreover, an active child, in tossing and turning while asleep, tends to displace its cover or blanket, as a result of which its body may be uncovered and unprotected against low ambient temperatures.

Thus, it is desirable, and an object of this invention, to provide a blanket that Will permit a child to manipulate and adjust the blanket with full freedom, for his comfort and feeling of security, while at the same time anchoring the blanket against displacement that would uncover the child.

To anchor the blanket against undesirable removal by the childs movements and adjustments, the lower end of the blanket is formed to provide a pocket to fit the lower end of the blanket over the lower end of the mattress. The pocket is not to fit tightly and snugly like so-called contoured bed sheets, but merely for anchoring with ease of application and of removal. The size of the mattress is relatively standard.

The blanket is wider than the mattress to provide two side panels. The panels may constitute extensions of the side walls of the anchoring pocket and may be left hanging or be tucked under the mattress.

The upper end of the blanket provides an underfolded flap to define an under pocket along the top of the blanket across substantially the operative width of the blanket on the mattress. The top folded flap thus formed does not extend to the side edges of the blanket and is a relatively free pocket as an extension of the central body of the blanket. A sleeping child can insert his arm under the flap and into the pocket of the flap and move the top fold of the flap to cuddle it under his chin for maximum comfort and cuddling warmth and contact.

The construction of such a blanket and the manner in which it functions, are shown in connection with accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blanket cut-out form before assembly and formation;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the blanket in position on a mattress in a childs crib, with part of the blanket broken away to show how the sleeping child may place and keep his arm in the pocket and press his hand into the flap fold to cuddle the top of the blanket under his chin, and with the lower corner broken away to show the lower pocket for anchoring the blanket on the mattress;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of one end part of the top flap of the blanket to show how the childs hand and wrist more readily adapt to the roundness and curvature at the end of the flap pocket;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom view of a corner of the blanket; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view looking into the flap pocket and showing the pocket closed at the end.

As shown in FIGURE 1, a blanket form, from which the blanket 10 of this invention is made, comprises a central cover panel 12, two side panels 14 and 16, a lower end panel 18, a lower underfold panel 22, and upper panels 24 and 26 to be folded on a top fold edge 25, with the panel 26 to be folded under panel 24 and secured to panel 24 along the congruent side edges, 24-a to 26-.a, and 24- b to 26-b, as by stitching or by other suitable securing means such as snaps or other closures of nonirritating structure and disposition on the blanket.

In FIGURE 2, the finished blanket 10 is shown in position, on a mattress 30 in a crib 32, and covering ,a child whose arm is shown in the upper flap pocket 34 with his hand cuddling the top fold edge 25 of the blanket 10 under his chin. The pocket 34 extends across the full width of the panels 24 and 26 to the edges which are shown stitched together at 24a and 26-a, and at 24-h and 26-b, to close the pocket 34 at both ends.

A smooth soft overlay material 28, such as silk or rayon, covers both panels 24 and 26 on the outside where the childs face will be engaged. The material then continues as a border and edging 29 around the edge of the remainder of the blanket form.

This top flap pocket on the under side is an important feature of this blanket. It permits the child to easily and naturally insert his hand and arm into the pocket, underneath the blanket and within the coverage and warmth of the blanket, in order to adjust the blanket for maximum and most comfortable coverage and snuggling position. The underflap panel 26, although held at the end edges, provides a high degree of available freedom and looseness of additional material for the childs cuddling movements. At the same time, the holding at the ends prevents the loop flap from being entirely withdrawn and displaced where it could no longer serve its purpose. Thus, the reserve material of the underflap 26 is always available, in spite of the childs wriggling and shifting of position.

An important detail of the top flap pocket 34 is the curvature and roundness at the two closed ends 34-a and 34-11. As shown in FIGURE 2, this roundness accommodates the curvature of the childs fist and wrist and provides a feeling of complete continuity of contact with the flap material and therefore of comfort with the element of psychological security to the child.

In FIGURE 5 is shown a view looking into the top flap pocket 34 towards one stitched end, and indicating the free open space for the childs hand and arm to enter the pocket 34.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 4, to anchor the lower end of the blanket, the bottom flap 18 and fold under flap 22 are joined to the lower edges 14-a and 16-a of the side panels 14 and 16, to form a loose pocket 40' to fit over the lower end of the mattress. That anchoring pocket 40 is preferably wider than the intended mattress to permit easy application and removal of the blanket. All that is wanted is to anchor the lower end of the blanket against complete displacement that would let the childs body become uncovered.

The bottom flaps 18 and 22 may be joined to the side flaps 14 and 16 in any suitable manner to form such pocket 40, being shown here simply as a stitching along adjacent edges.

The looseness of the bottom pocket provides a further advantage in the permitted looseness of the side panels, which need not be tucked in under the mattress, but left hanging, to thereby provide even more freedom to cuddling adjustment of the top flap pocket.

The blanket disclosed herein thus provides an anchored blanket assuring it will not be displaced by the movements of the sleeping child, while providing an upper folded flap pocket which not only permits the child greater and easier freedom of adjustment, but actually encourages the child to adjust the blanket to its most comfortable and effective covering position, by drawing upon the childs urge for security and by providing the blanket of such construction as to guide that urge into adjusting the blanket to perform its covering purpose most effectively. Various slight modifications might be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A childs blanket having its lower end formed with a pocket to fit over the lower end of a mattress, to be anchored against casual displacement, and having its upper end formed as an underfolded flap to provide a pocket to receive a hand and arm of a covered child for snuggling the blanket under its chin.

2. A childs blanket, as in claim 1, comprising, further, a side panel on each side of the blanket, to hang down over the side of the covered mattress and to provide continuing coverage over the childs body notwithstanding any lateral adjustment of the upper end of the blanket by the child in shifting the underfolded flap during snugglying action.

3. A childs blanket, as in claim 1, having an overlay or edging of soft non-irritating fabric covering the area of the flap that would touch the sleeping childs face.

4. A childs blanket, as in claim 1, in which the top edge of the fold between the top flap and the underfiap is continuous and curved at the two ends down to the edges of the adjoining side panels, the curved end edges being stitched to define a curved end pocket at each side end of the underflap.

5. A childs blanket, as in claim 1, in which the folded top flap is narrower than the mattress width, so the flap will be free of any restraint from the side panels.

6. A childs blanket having its upper end formed as an underfolded flap to provide a pocket to receive a hand and arm of a covered child for snuggling the blanket under its chin, and means secured to the lower end of the blanket for anchoring the blanket at the lower end of a mattress against casual displacement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,639,156 Wilmert Aug. 16, 1927 1,875,525 Thexton et a1. Sept. 6, 1932 2,683,267 Weil July 13, 1954 2,736,043 Temple Feb. 28, 1956 

